Cataract Surgery at Black Hills Regional Eye Institute
About Multifocal/Accommodative Lens Technologies
Multifocal and accommodative technology refers to artificial lenses that can be implanted inside the eye that allow simultaneous distance and near vision without glasses. Historically, when someone developed a cataract (clouding of the lens inside the eye), it was removed and replaced with a clear, mono-focal lens that allowed for focus at one distance. This meant that glasses were often necessary for distance and/or near vision. Newer technologies and cataract surgery techniques have allowed for more precision and greater options in correcting vision to reduce the dependence on glasses.
Who is a candidate for multifocal/accommodative technologies?
Anyone undergoing cataract surgery could potentially benefit from multifocal options. This is the optimal time to implant the new, man-made lens because the cataract has to be removed regardless. This generally occurs sometime after the age of 50. Given the success of multi-focal technologies, it has also become possible to elect implantation prior to the need for cataract surgery.
How is multifocal/accommodative technologies implanted?
Your surgeon will make a small, stitch-less, incision in the front of the eye. Through that small incision, the cloudy cataract will be removed. Then the multifocal implant will carefully be positioned inside the eye to replace the old lens.
What are the risks and side effects?
Lens implantation involves surgical risks comparable to traditional cataract surgery. As cataract surgery has been done millions of times throughout the world, techniques have been refined to decrease the chance of complications. Although extremely rare, most important to consider would be the possibility of infection in the eye, retinal detachment, or problems related to corneal dystrophies. Your Black Hills Regional Eye Institute doctor will help to counsel you as to your specific risks.
What are the results of multifocal/accommodative technologies?
As there are multiple options for allowing clear vision, your surgeon will select the best technology as it relates to your prescription and visual demands. Depending on the type of technology selected, your surgeon can target good distance and near vision (traditional book reading distance) or good distance and intermediate vision (computer distance). It is important that you work together with your doctor to allow the best result to meet your personal visual demands. A small percentage of patients will notice glare/halo around lights at night.
The Black Hills Regional Eye Institute uses three multifocal/accomodative lenses. To learn more about the ReStor multifocal, Crystalens HD accomodating lens, or the Tecnis multifocal, click on the links below:
Using ORange in Cataract Surgery
The physicians at the Eye Institute use the ORange intraoperative wavefront system during cataract surgery. Using this wavefront aberrometry has become a common method of determining refractive error in conjunction with corneal refractive surgery such as LASIK. This technology has now been udapted for us in cataract surgery, providing our surgeons with a tool that allows them to measure refractive error during surgery. Click below for more information.
